Art of applying labels and machine for applying labels



April 14, 1942. w, VON'HQFE 2,279,724

ART OF APPLYING LABELS AND MACHINE FOR APPLYING LABELS Filed Feb. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 36 INV OR.

GEORGE l h Vo/v oFE A ril 14, 1942. G. w. VONHOFE 4 ART OF APPLYING LABELS AND MACHINE FOR APPLYING LABELS Filed Feb. 23, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 I $50265 vo/ a/ p Patented Apr. 14, 1942 ART OF APPLYING LABELS AND MACHINE FOR APPLYING LABELS George W. von Hole, Bound Brook, N. J assignor to New Jersey Machine Corporation,

Hoboken, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 23, 1939, Serial No. 257,812

12 Claims.

The invention relates to the art of applying labels and more particularly to the application of labels provided with a thermoplastic coating on one surface for adhesively connecting said labels with the articles to which they are applied.

The object of the invention is to provide novel and simple mechanism whereby adhesive coated labels, and more particularly thermoplastic coated labels, may be efliciently applied to the articles for which said labels are designed. Other more specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims. 1

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several examples of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view partly in section showing the novel features in one form; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of a labeling machine, with parts in section, illustrating the novel features in another form; Fig. 3 is a detail view of an example of the suction mouthpiece shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of a labeling machine illustrating the novel features in still another form, and Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

It is to be understood that the term label" as used throughout the description and claims is intended to include not only conventional labels but also anything which may be equivalent thereto as, for example, decalcomanias and the like; in other words, the term label is not to be construed as restricting the description and claims to devices commonly referred to as labels although conventional labels are intended to be included in the aforesaid term as used herein. I

In the form shown in Fig. 1, a carriage I0 is reciprocated on a suitably mounted stationary rail ll by-mechanism exemplified by the rod l2 and the arm I3, said rod i2 being pivotally connected at M with the carriage l0 and at IS with the arm I3. A member or plunger I6 is mounted on the carriage for vertical reciprocation thereon by suitable means in properly timed relation with the associated elements, and at its lower end carries a pick-up or transferring device ,which is illustrated in the form of a suction head ll.

In-practice the carriage ill is reciprocated on the rail II to carry the suction transfer head I! between the pick-up station wherea label is picked up and the label applying station where said label is applied to the article for which it is intended, it being understood that the member or plunger I6 is operatively controlled to correspondingly control the operative steps of the suction head H or its equivalent. The machine further includes suitable supporting means l8 for supporting the articles A to be labeled in label receiving position at the label applying station.

In the mechanism being described the labels, one surface of whichis coated, for instance, with a thermoplastic coating, are connected in the form of a continuous web B carried in the form of a roll C by a rod or axle is which is journalled in the machine in any convenient manner. The web B is fed toward the pick-up station in any suitable way as for instance by feed rollers 20 operated intermittently in steps dependent upon and corresponding to the dimensions of the labels. At the pick-up or label transfer station the machine is provided with a support 28 over which the web 18 is fed as illustrated in Fig. l, the web B being transversely cut by suitably operated cutting means 22 to separate the individual terminal labels D from the web B; the arrangement and operation is such that the individual terminal labels D are supported on the support 2| in accurate label receiving relation with the suction transfer head ll. The labels D as above stated may have a thermoplastic coating on one face thereof, that is the bottom face in the illustrated example, which coating is subjected to the action of heat to soften the same for adhesively attaching successive labels D to successive articles A. In the form shown in- Fig. 1, the suction head ll accordingly carries a heating device 23 whereby the heating of the thermoplastic coating on the labels D is heated, said device 23 for instance, being electrically operated and connected with a source of electricity by the wires 24,

In order to prevent the heated suction head ll from interfering with the proper picking up of successive labels D for instance by causing the latter to adhere to the support 2| the suction head ll does not contact with the labels D on the support 2i but in its pick-up position is located in vertically spaced receiving relation to said support 2| as shown by solid lines in Fig. 1. At this stage the label D resting upon the support 2| is blown into contact wth the suction head H, in which suction is efl'ective at the time, and accordingly is held in surface engagement with said head I! in accurate position for application to the article A with predetermined registry thereon with the thermoplastic coated'surface of said label'D exposed and facing downwardly. For

this purpose the support 2| may be hollow and have its interior connected by means of a tube 25 with a source of air under pressure, the upper or top wall of said support 2| in such case being provided with perforations or air vents 26 as shown in Fig. 1. It will be understood that suitable provision is made to control the compressed air supply to the interior of the support 2I and consequently its exit through the vents 28 in any convenient manner.

With the parts as illustrated in Fig. l, the suction head I1 is in the pick-up position at the pick-up station and a terminal label D and is in place on the support 2I in accurate receiving relation with the suction head II, the heating device 23 being in operation at the time to heat sai'd suction head I]. At the proper moment in the cycle of operations compressed air will be admitted to the interior of the support 2| and accordingly will issue therefrom through the vents 26 in the form of a plurality of jets. These jets will be effective upon the aforesaid label D and will blow the latter into surface contact with the face of the suction head II in which suction is effective at the time to maintain said label D accurately in place on said head II. The carriage I is then shifted to the left on the rail II in Fig. l and carries with it the suction head I! and the label D held thereon by suction, to thereby shift the carriage I0 and its associated elements to the label applying position. During the aforesaid movements of the carriage II) the label D carried by the suction head I! is being heated by the action of the heating device 23 and the thermoplastic coating of said label D consequently is being v softened by heat during the transfer of the label D from the pick-up station to the label applying station. At the latter, the member or plunger I6 is moved downwardly on the carriage III to bring the label D with its heat softened thermoplastic coating into surface engagement with the bottle or other article A which is in place on the supporting means I 8 at the time.

The heat softened condition of the aforesaid thermoplastic coating causes the label D to adhere to the bottle or other article A, and at the proper moment the suction in the head I! is cut off and said head I1 is raised on the carriage III which is shifted to the right on the rail I I as the first step in a repetition of the aforesaid operative cycle. The action of the head I'I alone may be relied upon to firmly press the label D into adhesive engagement with the bottle or other article A, or the initial deposit of the label D thereon may be followed by pressure applied subating ina manner corresponding to the machine which forms the subject matter of my prior application Serial No. 113,796. As shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings, this machine includes a carriage Ill similar to the carriage I0 and likewise arranged to be reciprocated on a stationary rail II suitably supported on the frame I I of said machine. The carriage I 0'- is operatively connected by means of a rod I2 with an arm I3 which is fixed on a shaft I3 journalled in the frame II and rocked on its axis in any suitable manner, for instance, as shown in the aforesaid prior application, to correspondingly actuate the arm I3 and thereby alternately pull and push the carriage I0- lengthwise of the rail I I.

The carriage III constitutes a support for a member I6" which is vertically movable on said carriage III and at its lower end is provided with a pick-up devic I'I for instance of the vacuum or suction controLed type, and connected by means of 8. preferably flexible tube I'l with a suitable source of suction. In its illustrated form the pick-up device I'I' includes a suction transfer head I'I in which the suction is effective to pick-up successive labels at the pick-up station of the machine as will be more fully described hereinafter.

In operation, the shaft I3 is rocked to correspondingly actuate the arm I3 and to thereby reciprocate the carriage I0 lengthwise of the rail II and carry the pick-up device I1 and associated elements from the pick-up station of the machine to the label applying station and vice versa. At the applying station the machine is provided with supporting means I8 for supporting successive articles A in label receiving position thereat. In the arrangement under discussion the labels D provided on one face with a thermoplastic coating are supported in the form of an upright stack in a hopper or container 2|, suitable provision being made for periodically restoring the upper end of said stack to a predetermined level. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the hopper ill is arranged so as to locate the stack of labels D at the pick-up or label transfer station of the machine,'and includes well-known means for advancing the terminal labels in said stack to said label transfer station and for supporting them thereat in accurate label receiving relation with suction transfer head I'I.

Suitable means is provided for vertically actuating the member I6 and with it the pick-up device II on the carriage I0 at the proper points in the operative cycle to pick up successive terminal labels D from the supply stack and to initially deposit said labels on bottles or other articles A mounted in label receiving position 7 on the supporting means I8. For instance,- the member I6 may be provided with rollers 26 one of which is arranged to travel along a movable rail 21 and the other of which is adapted to traverse a. fixed rail 28 mounted in the frame II in spaced parallel relation to the movable rail 21 and provided with recesses 29 and 30; the latter are located so as to prevent the one roller 26 from interfering with the movement of the member I6 and device II at the pick-up and applying stations respectively. The operation of the movable rail 2'! may be controlled in any suitable manner as for instance by means of mechanism such as disclosed in my prior application referred to hereinbefore.

In the machine now being described, the final steps in the application of the thermoplastic coated labels D are effected by heated pressure means operative at the applying station at which the articles A are successively located. The mechanism accordingly includes a pressure device 3I carried by a member 32 which is arranged for vertical reciprocation in a stationary guideway 33 supported upon the frame II in any convenient manner. The pressure device 3I includes a pressure head or member 34 dimensioned and shaped in accordance with the dimensions and shape of the articles A and heated in any suitable way as by means of an electrical heating device of conventional type diagrammatically iilustrated by the wires 35. The mechanism whereby the membervor'plunger 32 is vertically reciprocated in'properly timedsynchronism with,

' the other steps in an operative cycle of the matrated and described in my prior applicationhereinbefore referred to.

In the instant machine the thermoplastic coated labels D' are removed from the supply stack in the container 2|- in individual succession and in normal condition so that the thermoplastic coating of the label is relatively non-adhesive, and are initially deposited upon the articles A by the suction head l1 as will be more fully described hereinafter. In order to temporarily maintain the deposited labels D on the articles Apending the final application of said labels to said articles by the pressure device 3|,

said labels D are provided with a minimum or restricted amount of tacky adhesive sufilcient to temporarily hold said labels D in place during the transfer of said labels D from the pick-up station to the application station of the machine. This adhesive is applied to the thermoplastic coating of the labels D at spaced points thereof in any suitable manner to provide the desired results; in other words, the aforesaid adhesive may be applied in the form of a plurality of relatively small spaced dots or in spaced relatively thin lines. accomplished, the suction head i1 may be recessed as indicated at 31 in Figs. 2 and 3 so that when the terminal individual labels D are removed from the upper end of the stack, the suction effective in said head i1 will draw the major portions of said labels into the recess 31 as will be apparent. With successive individual labels D in this position on the head l1 the major portion of said labels is distorted out of the normal plane thereof by the suction which is effective in the head l1 at the time successive terminal labels D are removed from the supply stack. As the carriage ill moves to the left on the rail Il each label D carried by the head l1 in the aforesaid distorted condition is moved in progressive tangential contact with an adhesive roller 38 forming part of adhesive applying means located between the pick-up station and the applying station of the machine as shown in Fig. 2. As this progressive tangential contact takes place, those parts of each label D carried by the head i1 in the normal plane of said label receive an application of adhesive on the thermoplastic coatings thereof, while the distorted portion of said label D in the recess 31 does not contact with said adhesive roller 38. As the movement of the carriage ill to the left continues, the suction head I! will finally reach the applying station at which the member or plunger Iii will be moved downwardly for instance by the downward movement of the movable rail 21, the one roller 26 at this stage being in registry with the recess 30 of the fixed rail 28. The label D carried by the head I1 at the time is thereby deposited upon theparticular article A and is caused to adhere thereto by the action of the aforesaid adhesive when the parts are operated to lift the suction head i1 upwardly away from said article A; it will be understood that as this latter operation takes place, suction in the suction head i1 will be discontinued so as to leave the label D in initial connection with the particular article A'.

The elevation of the suction head 11 is such that in the return movement of the carriage lil' to the right on the rail ii the head i1 will be located at a level above that of the adhesive roll 38 and accordingly will not contact with said.

roll 38 during this return travel to the pick-up station at which the plunger or member i6 is moved downwardly at the proper time to cause the head I 1 to pick up the next successive terminal label D from the stack in the hopper 2i.

. Subsequent to the initial deposit of a given label D upon a given article A the pressure .means 3| will be moved downwardly to cause the pressure device 34 to develop a pressure upon the deposited label D. As the pressure device 34 is heated, the thermoplastic coating of said label D will be coincidentally softened so that the particular label D will be firmly pressed into place on the article A. and will be caused to firmly adhere thereto.

The labelling machine selected for the purpose of illustrating and describing the novel features in still another form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is of substantially the same construction and arrangement as shown in Fig. 2.

A carriage ifl is arranged for reciprocation lengthwise of a stationary rail li mounted in the machine in any convenient manner and is operated, for instance, by means of an arm l3 As an example of how the result may be fixed upon a rock-shaft i3 and operatively connected with the carriage iii by a connecting rod 12 A member or plunger i6 is slidably mounted on the carriage iii? and is vertically reciprocable thereon by means of a movable rail 21 operated and controlled, for instance, in the same way as set forth in my prior application above mentioned. At its lower end the member or plunger I 6 carries a pick-up device preferably of the vacuum type illustrated in the form of a suction transfer head H. For reasons which will appear more fully hereinafter, the suction transfer head i1 is located in off-set relation to the member or plunger iS by means of an angle arm H the arrangement being such that the suction head is located somewhat in advance of the carriage it! when the latter moves toward the left on the rail ii. As in the previous form, the labels D provided with thermoplastic coatings are arranged in the form of a supply stack in a' container or hopper Zi the latter being located at the pick-up or label transfer station of the machine and providing for the advancing of the terminal labels to the label transfer station and for the support of said labels thereat in accurate receiving relation to the suction transfer head i1. In the form now being described, the suction head l1 may be relatively considerably smaller than the dimensions of the labels D and may be of a given size for all types of labels D The machine also includes suitable supporting means l8 located at the label applying station of the machine for supporting the bottles A or other articles in label receiving position thereat. As shown in Fig. 4, a successively effective compound pressure means is operative at the aforesaid label applying station and consists of a plunger 32 vertically slidable in an upright guideway 33 suitably mounted on the frame of the machine. At its lower end the plunger 32 carries a, pressure device 34 which may be heated in any convenient manner as by means of an electrical heating device diagrammatlcally illustrated by the wires 35. The aforesaid compound pressure means further includes an associate plunger 32 vertically slidable in the guideway 33 in surface engagement with .the plunger 32'. The associate plunger 32 at its lower end carries a pressure device 34 including two horizontally extending pressure members 34 located in spaced parallel relation to each other and heated in any convenient manner as by means of an electric heating device exemplified diagrammatically by the wires 35'. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the transverse dimension of the pressure device 34 corresponds substantially to the space between the members 34 of the pressure device 34"; the pressure device 34 and the pressure members 34 preferably also terminate at their free ends in line with each other. The operative vertical movements of the compound pressure means may be developed in properly timed relation to each other and to the other steps of an operative cycle of the machine in any convenient way. For instance. a lever 33 may be loosely mounted on the shaft l3 and have its free end connected with the plunger 32, for instance as shown in Fig. 4; similarly a second lever 36 may be loosely mounted on the shaft l3 with its free end connected with the associate plunger 32 as also shown in Fig. 4. The levers 36 and 38* may be rocked on the shaft l3 in proper operative sequence to operatively reciprocate the compound pressure means in any suitable manner such as for instance by mechanism of the type illustrated and described in my prior application previously mentioned herein.

With the parts as illustrated in Fig. 4, the

the rail li to transfer the thermoplastic coatedlabel D from the pick-up station to the label applying station of the machine. At the latter station the angle arm I1 passes into the space between the pressure members 34 of the compound pressure means and beneath the pressure device 34 which occupies a raised position at this time as illustrated in Fig. 4.

This brings the suction head l1 with the label D carried thereby into label applying relation to the article A as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. The plunger l3 is then moved downwardly on the carriage Ill to cause the suction head H to deposit and temporarily maintain the label D held thereby upon the bottle or other articles A.

In properly timed relation the lever 36 is moved downwardly and thereby moves the plunger 32' downwardly in the guideway 33 and thereby brings the members 34 of the pressure device 34 into engagement with the deposited label D on the bottle A or other article upon opposite sides of the suction head ll The heated members 34 accordingly soften the thermoplastic coating of the deposited label D at spaced points thereof upon said opposite sides of the suction head I1 and coincidentally subject ear the deposited label to pressure at said spaced points whereby the opposite end portions of said label D are applied to the bottle A or other article. a As the members 34 of the pressure device 34 come to rest against the deposited label D on the bottle A or other article. the downward movement of the auxiliary plunger 32* will be arrested and said members 34 will remain in pressure contact with said opposite end portions of the deposited label D to maintain the latter in place on the bottle A or other article.

At the proper moment the suction eflective in the head H is discontinued and the latter is raised on the carriage ill which is then shifted to the right on the rail II to bring the suction head ll back to the pick-up station ready to repeat the operations of picking up the next subsuction head I'I is in position to remove the I sequent terminal label D from the top of the supply stack and transfer said last named label l) to the label applying station of the machine. The members 34 of the pressure device 34, in addition to their other functions, constitute means for holding the label D in position on the article A while the suction transfer head i'l is withdrawn subsequent to the deposit of said label D on the article A". After the suction head. has been moved out of the space between the members 34 and out of the way, the second lever 36 is rocked on the shaft 13 to thereby shift the plunger 34 downwardly in the guideway 33 and to bring the pressure device 34 into the space between the members 34 and into engagement with that portion of the initially applied label on the bottle A -or other article which is inregistry with the space between the two members 34 as illustrated in Fig. 5. The heat of the pressure device 34 therefore becomes effective to soften that portion of the thermoplastic coating. of said label D which is intermediate of the opposite end portions of said coating previously softened by the heated members 34. At the same time the pressure device 34 exerts a pressure upon said intermediate portion of saidlabel D to thereby complete the application of the latter tothe particular bottle A or other article. The compound pressure means is then raised by a reverse operation Of the levers 36 and38 after which the hereinbefore described cycle of operations is repeated.

The novel features in all forms constitute improvements in the art of applying labels whereby adhesively coated labels and more particularly labels provided with thermoplastic coatings are efficiently applied to the articles for which they are designed in a uniform and efllcient manner. The mechanisms are simple in construction and require no particularly skilled supervision in their operation and may be readily incorporated in many existing types of labeling machine. By applying the thermoplastic coated labels and their equivalent to the articles by pressure in the presence of heat, the operative step of applying said label is of'maximum efilciency at all times. I

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a labeling machine for applying thermoplastic coated labels under heat, the combination of article supporting means at the label applying station of said machine for positioning articles to be labeled in label receiving position thereat, a source of label supply, means for advancing the terminal label to a label transfer station, means for supporting said label thereat in accurate label receiving relation to a suction transfer head, means including said suction head operating in definite relation to the article on said article'supporting means for removing each label from said supporting means at said transfer station without disturbing its relation to said suction head and transferring said label to said label applying station, said suction head depositing said label in contact with said article thereat in its intended position thereon with predetermined registry, and means for applying heat directly to the label to effect the application thereof to said article.

2. In a labeling machine for applying thermoplastic coated labels under heat, the combination of article supporting means at the label applying station of said machine for positioning articles to be labeled in label receiving position thereat, a source of label supply arranged to advance successive terminal labels to a label transfer station, means for'supporting the terminal labels at said station in predetermined label receiving relation to a transfer device, means including said transfer device operating in definite relation to the article on said article supporting means for removing each label from said supporting means at said transfer station without disturbing its relation to said transfer device and transferring said label to said label applying station for direct application to said article thereat in its intended position on said article with a predetermined registry, and means for applying heat directly to the label to effect the applicationthereof to said article.

3. In the art of applying thermoplastic coated labels to articles, that improvement which comprises feeding a web of connected labels to a pick-up station, cutting said web transversely to separate individual labels therefrom at said station, blowing said individual labels into surface engagement with a heated pick-up device, shifting said pick-up device to transfer the label carried thereby to an applying station and coinciclentallyheating said label whereby the thermo plastic coating thereof is softened and rendered adhesive during said transfer, and applying said heated label by pressure at said applying station while said thermoplastic coating is in a heated, softened condition.

4. In the art of applying thermoplastic coated labels to articles, that improvement which comprises removing successive terminal labels from a supply stack at a pick-up station, and trans= ferring said labels to an applying station, applying adhesive in restricted amounts to the thermoplastic coatings of said labels during such transfer, depositing the labels on the articles at said applying station and initially maintaining said labels in place on said articles by said restricted amounts of adhesive, and applying pressure in the presence of heat to said deposited labels to soften the thermoplastic coatings thereof whereby the application of said labels to said articles is completed.

. 5. In the art of applying thermoplastic coated labels to articles, that improvement which comprises removing terminal labels from a supply stack in individual succession, transferring the labels to an applying station and depositing said labels on said articles thereat, applying pressure in the presence of heat to said deposited labels at spaced points thereof to soften the thermoplastic coatings thereof to initially apply said labels tosaid articles, and applying additional pressure in the presence of heat to said initially applied labels intermediate of said spaced points to soften the intermediate portion of said thermoplastic coatings to thereby complete the application of said labels to said articles.

6. In a labeling machine'for applying adhesive coated labels under heat, the combination of means for transporting an adhesive coated label over a predetermined path from a label transfer station to an applying station definitely related to said transfer station for positive application to an article in its intended position thereon at said applying station, means for supporting said label at said label transfer station in accurate label receiving relation to said transporting means to predetermining the applying position of said label to'said article, and means for applying heat directly to said label to effect the application thereof to said article at said applying station.

7. In a labeling machine, the combination of a support provided with air vents, means for feeding a web of connected thermoplastic coated labels to said support, means for cutting said web transversely to separate individual labels therefrom at said support, a heated vacuum pick-up device movable into receiving relation to said support, means for blowing air through said air vents to blow a label from said support into surface engagement with said vacuum pick-up device to be held thereby, and means for shifting said heated pick-up device to transfer the label carried thereby into applying relation to an article,

. said label being heated during said transfer to soften said thermoplastic coating, said pick-up device being actuated to deposit said label on said article while said coating is softened and to develop a pressure on the deposited label whereby the latter is adhesively applied to said article.

8. In a labeling machine, the combination of a supply stack of thermoplastic coated labels, a vacuum pick-up device for successively removing individual terminal labels from said stack,

- and for transferring said labels into applyingrelation to successive articles, means for applying adhesive in restricted amounts to predetermined, separated portions of the thermoplastic coating of said labels, said vacuum pick-up being actuated to deposit said labels on said articles and to initially connect the same therewith by said adhesive, and heated pressure means for developing pressure on said deposited labels and for 00- incidentally heating the thermoplastic coatings thereof whereby said labels are adhesively applied to said articles.

9. In a labeling machine, the combination of a supply stack of thermoplastic coated labels,

means for supporting successive articles in label receiving position, a pick-up device for successively removing individual terminal labels from said stack and for depositing said labels on said articles, and compound heated pressure means for successively heating different portions of said labels to successively soften corresponding portions of the thermoplastic coatings thereof and for coincidentally applying successive pressures to adhesively apply said different portions of said labels to said articles.

-10. In a labeling machine, the combination of a supply stack of thermoplastic coated labels, means for supporting successive articles in label receiving position, a vacuum pick-up device of ual terminal labels from said stack and for despaced portions of said labels into adhesive connection with said articles to initially apply said labels thereto, and to subsequently cause said additional heated pressure member to soften the portions of said thermoplastic coatings intermediate of said spaced portionsand to concurrently press corresponding intermediate portions of said labels into adhesive connection with said articles.

11. In a labeling machine, the combination oi a holder for a supply of labels, means for supporting articles in label receiving position, a transier device for successively removing individual labels from said supply and depositing said labels on said articles, said transfer device being individually withdrawn subsequent to said deposit, and means for holding said label in position on said article during said withdrawal of said transfer device.

12. In a labeling machine, the combination of a holder for a supply of labels, means tor supporting articles in label receiving position, a transfer device for successively removing individual labels from said supply and depositing said labels on said articles, and means operative on said deposited labels upon opposite sides of said transfer device for holding said labels in position on said articles, said transfer device bein withdrawn from between said label holding means subsequent to the engagement of the deposited iabel thereby.

GEORGE W. VON HOFE. 

